Streaming: why is it so unsatisfying?

Once upon a time, I only streamed when at the gym or at work, serving as background filter. Now thanks to high res sites like Amazon HD, I can stream directly into my dac using bluos. On several occasions, I can listen to selections in much better res than cd rates. Plus these sites offer many titles that will never be released. I am getting rather spoiled using these as now I can listen to an entire concert without changing breaks; it was nice to listen to zappa’s Halloween 1973 show without getting out the chair; the other day it was 1/2 miles ‘ plugged nickel box. It’s reliving the concert event w/o the crowd. The big downside is the tentativeness of the selections, here today gone tomorrow. I’ll continue buying the real thing, by narrowing it down to very special items that never make a stream appearance

 

I have listened to Exile on Main Street hundreds of times from the LP I bought the day it was released, from the CDs I have purchased of it, and from streaming. I love to stream it in the car. There is no difference in the experience for me.

 

Actually streaming is the exact opposite for me. It makes me less of a casual music fan and more of a music fanatic. I own over 20,000 CDs and LPs. However, I have gone much, much deeper into certain artists' discography because of streaming. For example, Quicksilver Messenger Service. I have listened to many later albums and a great many live albums of theirs, because of Spotify. This has filled in the gaps in my listening which my 2o,000+ album collection could nor fulfill, in a very exciting way.

Another example. I have some classic country in my 20,000+ CD and LP collection but not a lot. On Spotify I can listen on a long car trip to Little Jimmy Dickens, Webb Pierce, David Allan Coe, some Waylon Jennings I had never heard of, 1960s Loretta Lynn, Kitty Wells, a lot of Merle Haggard I had never heard of. Without streaming, would I buy dozens of older country albums? Probably never. Streaming has enriched and deepened my musical knowledge and experiences.

 

Q: Streaming: why is it so unsatisfying?
A: It's in your head.

 

Even when I download offline from Spotify, then have been techincal issues from preventing me from listening to the music I downloaded.

 

Isn't everything?

 

Why did changing a wall outlet make that big of a difference?

 

Ya know, I haven't listened to Exile On Main Street in years. My girlfriend gave me the album for Xmas the year it was released and I don't know where it went. I think I'll stream it for a listen. I've been doing this with a bunch of "classic" Grateful Dead albums.

 

When I was a teenager in the early 1970s, I loved to examine the LP cover art, the liner notes (if any), the inner sleeve (if it had information on it). With CDs that all became a very fine print booklet. Sometimes I literally need a magnifying glass to read the CD booklets.

Now I don't care about any of that. When I go back and look at my 20,000+ CD and LP collection, only a handful of LPs have an art and visual presentation which is worth keeping as an art item or like an interesting book. The early Zappa albums, for example. The LP of Bitches Brew. The LP of Quicksilver Messenger Service's Happy Trails. I have always liked the artwork and design on that LP. But not many.

My ex-wife used to get a visible charge of excitement when she bought a physical item, whether in a store or online. For her, it was almost like an addiction to a powerful and pleasurable stimulant, the mere act of purchasing. But I have never felt that. So I don't get a big excitement about buying an LP or CD.

With over 20,000+ CDs and LPs, the collection of physical objects has become a storage and moving problem, more than it is anything pleasurable. At age 63, streaming is for me.

 

The fact that Spotify's UI is a bit shit sometimes doesn't make streaming a bad proposition though. That's the functionality that exists and works ... most of the time ... so that's what we should be discussing. And tbh generally when I've had spotify issues it's more likely Android issues. I mean, my spotify app on my phone randomly crashes from time to time but I know that's my cheap phone. of course, you could make the argument that you'd go with streaming if streaming actually did what it said on the tin, I guess.

 

I don't know why you find it unsatisfying.

 

It's akin to renting imho

 

And that's why you buy discs of Internet content.

 

I especially like the point you made in your 114th sentence.

 

Right there with you. Most of my digital movie purchases are from iTunes, which often include DVD/BluRay content as ‘iTunes Extras’ together with full screen DVD/BluRay style menus that tie it all together on iOS and Apple TV devices. Whether those extras are actually worth the time varies from title to title though. Only applies to iTunes film purchases though, not to rentals which is a shame.

The only streaming service that does extras that I know of is Disney Life here in UK (very much a precursor to Disney+). The service has all of the BluRay extras included along with each film - my wife and I watched the terrific documentary on the making of Sleeping Beauty after rewatching the film, in turn inspired by watching Maleficent. I’m hoping this practice of including disc extras on the streaming service carries on whiten Disney+ launches in UK next March as it is very much enjoyed and appreciated at present.

 

If ya like flac or downloading more power to you. Still a need for human physical feel (contact) for ones physical media. Just my two cents.

 

Are you trying to make a blanket statement that music lovers don't collect music?

 

Absolutely correct. But it's how it feels in your head (or mind) that makes all the difference...

 

I am currently streaming a new album that until 10 minutes ago I didn’t know existed. Pretty satisfying.

 

I'm not sure that's the case. I think it's more accurate to say that there is more that some people enjoy about recordings and hifi that just hearing the music. But the enjoyment in experiencing the hearing of the music is what it is on its own terms.

 

Certainly NOT the way you do - I find it extremely satisfying otherwise how else will I find new albums to buy - FM Radio?

 

Well, when you buy a 4K or Blu-ray title here in the USA it often includes a code for a digital copy. So you can stream it from various devices and watch the disc if you prefer. You can also use your physical copy to protect your private property rights as a consumer, i.e., make another copy for yourself or store locally on a hard drive or sell it if you want.

The problem with streaming is that we have no rights as consumers. Disney (or Apple or Netflix or whoever) can decide they want you to pay a premium if you access bonus material. They can raise the monthly fee. They can disable some content that they want to charge more for you to see. There's a reason companies are enamored with streaming. In their business model, they retain all the rights and consumers have none.

 

Just a random observation.There are probably all degrees in between.

Maybe i should have said that Streamers seem to care less about the audiophile qualities of a given recording,and more about listening to as much good music as they can.Didn't mean to suggest that Audiophiles do not love music as well.

 

Bingo!